Gaslight street lamps pour fitful illumination through the fog-shrouded streets of Victorian cities. Menacing figures lurk in darkened alleyways; desperate men with nothing to lose and the determination to take what they can from others. Mutterings abound at the local pubs, workingmen who can’t afford their daily bread wish for more and listen to radicals and anarchists preaching fire and revolution. Parentless children, called “Street Arabs” in the East End vernacular, pick pockets and snatch purses from those not wily enough to protect their meager funds.

In these dangerous London streets Saucy Jack, known to the papers as “Jack the Ripper” slays with impunity while Sherlock Holmes battles crime from petty larceny to the machinations of the Napoleon of Crime, Dr. James Moriarty himself. Chinese Tongs battle East End mobs for control of opium dens and other rackets, all at the behest of their shadowy master, Weng-Chiang. On the high seas Captain Nemo and his submarine The Nautilus wage a one-man war against imperialism and perhaps even war itself. In the skies Robur the Conqueror schemes world conquest with powerful airships, and who knows what secret powers lurk beneath the Earth’s surface or watch our globe from the sandy wastes of Mars; planning the death of Humanity itself?

Compounded upon these events is the emergence of the masked vigilantes. These individuals use phantasmagoria to battle crime, the forces of law, and each other through the alleys of London and New York. Are they demons? Angels? Or are they persons from an occult past or the scions of a far future science? Strange figures such as Mr. Hyde, the Invisible Man, Frankenstein’s Monster and others defy the laws of God and man. The ogress witch Baba Yaga haunts the barren steppes of Russia, and ancient gods of the Near East and America rouse from their millennial slumbers to again walk as demigods upon the Earth. Add to this the threats of Dracula, The Martian Invaders and prehistoric worlds and lands that time forgot, and it is true that those within the era live in 'Interesting Times', indeed!

What will the results of all this technology, magic and diabolic creatures be? Only time will tell, and the citizens of the end of the Nineteenth century can only watch and wait.

Victorious is a Siege Engine™ Role-playing game set in a Victorian past that both was and was not. The latter Nineteenth Century of history exists side by side with the literary worlds of Sherlock Holmes, Count Dracula, the Steampunk Science of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, and Magicks both dark and mysterious. Victorious can be scaled to meet adventure with investigators of crime, defenders of society against evil monsters, and even mad scientists foiled by masked superheroes. Its up to you to decide the story for your chronicles of Victorious!

Those familiar with the Castles & Crusades Fantasy Role-Playing game will find Victorious easy to understand and play. However, there are many options that give the game its own unique flair. Among these are…

• Character classes that run the gamut of Fantastic Victoriana, from Contraptionists to Magicians, to Investigators and Mesmerists and more!

• A system to create your own unique character if none of the template classes fit the ideas of your Chronicles. Supernatural powers, Shortcomings, Victory Points to give the Good their edge in a crisis, and much more!

• Details of life in the Victorian era, with emphasis on London and New York City. Costs of living, incomes, and a wealth of weapons and equipment are provided to give your persona what he or she needs to battle evil in all its forms.
• Vehicle data, from the London Hansom Cabs to New York Hackneys, to automobiles trains and airships as well as rules to create your own vehicles through Science or Magick!

• Combat in all its forms, and how the Supernatural can impact both melee and missile combat. Carriage chase rules are provided as well as combat from trains to ships to the air also are provided.

• Details on the life and lifestyles in the Victorian Era, both its lighter and darker sides. A list of British and Americans of note that intrepid players might encounter as they adventure in the world of Victorious.

• Guidelines for moving the historical era for those wishing either time travel or another epoch for their game. World War II, The Modern Era, as well as a 2012 that the Scientific Romances of the Victorians imagined would be are all mentioned and given rules modifications for such safaris into the Chronoscape.

• An individualized Magick system as well as rules to use the Castles & Crusades magic spells if desired. Conversions of characters from C&C and Victorious to each other’s rules are a snap and guidelines are given for such.

• Non-player Victorians are provided as samples, from those champions of Good such as Sherlock Holmes to those of Evil such as Dracula, and even those of a Neutral bent such as Spring Heel Jack.

• An introductory adventure where the death of Dr. Henry Jekyll is investigated and is not what it seems.

In short, everything a Genteel Magistrate (GM, the director of the game) needs to begin their own Adventures in the Age of SuperMankind!

_____________________________
He Who Sits on the Elephants Back
The Troll Lord
Steve Chenault, President & CEO of Chenault & Gray Publishing, Troll Lord Games

About frickin time! I helped play test this folks, along with many members of my gaming groups. I like it.

Since its 20,000 I suggest "Captain Nemo" as his title. Beyond the obvious connection, he is one who sails on his own terms and ignores those he doesn't agree with...confident in his journey and goals.
Sounds obvious to me! -Gm Michael

Glad to see we're "officially" on the schedule now. Liz (Indigo Rose) and I will be putting up a facebook page for V! in the next couple of weeks and posting free material for the game. I'll post here when its up and running!

lobocastle wrote:Would you provide a little more information about the magic system?

Mike will have to handle that one, I only have play test documents, so I don't know what stayed the same or got changed.

Since its 20,000 I suggest "Captain Nemo" as his title. Beyond the obvious connection, he is one who sails on his own terms and ignores those he doesn't agree with...confident in his journey and goals.
Sounds obvious to me! -Gm Michael

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I typically avoided Steam Punk flavored materials, but this proved to me it can be just as much fun as any other genre. Actually, my Steaming Iron Man! was much more fun, and cool feeling, than playing a modern day type Iron Man.

Since its 20,000 I suggest "Captain Nemo" as his title. Beyond the obvious connection, he is one who sails on his own terms and ignores those he doesn't agree with...confident in his journey and goals.
Sounds obvious to me! -Gm Michael

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I typically avoided Steam Punk flavored materials, but this proved to me it can be just as much fun as any other genre. Actually, my Steaming Iron Man! was much more fun, and cool feeling, than playing a modern day type Iron Man.

Of course, having to tote it around in a Landau carriage certainly made it different eh?

Regarding the Magick system (spelling intentional), I give two methods of handling spells. One is the Vancian C&C system that may be used from the PHB almost 'as is'*. The other is more flexible with various abilities, but limitations as to how long a given spell is available to a caster. You can change spells during an adventure 'on the fly', but depending on its specifics it might require a loss of ability, require a ritual, etc. Sorry I can't go into more detail but Steve might get mad at me.

Mike

*= Unlike C&C the V! character is partially 'front loaded' with abilities so a 1st level Magician can cast more spells than his or her 1st level C&C counterpart. However, its not a lot more and they avoid the need for rituals, fatigue, etc.

Thanks for the reply, I am looking forward to this product. I assume it will be released in 2014. I am looking for an alternate Magic system to what is used in C&C?D&D and I think what you describe above just might fill the bill. I also think that some of the Amazing Adventure character classes will go well with Victorious such as the Gumshoe, Raider, and Mentalist.

<nod> If its not out in 2014 I just might POD it and give the blamed thing away! LOL

I haven't read AA in any detail, but if its close to C&C it shouldn't have a problem with conversion. I will say the plan isn't to reprint the C&C spells though, so if you want to use them in Victorious you'll need a C&C PHB!

Not soon enough. I haven't been this excited about a new TLG product since the CKG.

Since its 20,000 I suggest "Captain Nemo" as his title. Beyond the obvious connection, he is one who sails on his own terms and ignores those he doesn't agree with...confident in his journey and goals.
Sounds obvious to me! -Gm Michael

I am looking forward to it also. I originally ordered Amazing Adventures just for the Mentalist class and I was pleasantly surprised with the product as a whole. I like the Gumshoe, Raider, and Mentalist classes and so ported them over to my C&C game world. AA also offers an interesting take on a spell casting class that I like.

What I expect from Victorious is the magic system is something I may want to adept to C&C. Also I like the idea of the powers. I am sure I will find some of the character classes interesting also. Based on how the product is described I think it would work well for a Solomon Kane type of adventure.

I am looking forward to it also. I originally ordered Amazing Adventures just for the Mentalist class and I was pleasantly surprised with the product as a whole. I like the Gumshoe, Raider, and Mentalist classes and so ported them over to my C&C game world. AA also offers an interesting take on a spell casting class that I like.

What I expect from Victorious is the magic system is something I may want to adept to C&C. Also I like the idea of the powers. I am sure I will find some of the character classes interesting also. Based on how the product is described I think it would work well for a Solomon Kane type of adventure.

JLL

As I mentioned earlier, my fellow on line gamers and I play tested this game with Mike as the GM, plus I even played in a convention game or two ran by Mike, and I really enjoyed playing it. Made all the more significant because my preconception was that I wouldn't.

Since its 20,000 I suggest "Captain Nemo" as his title. Beyond the obvious connection, he is one who sails on his own terms and ignores those he doesn't agree with...confident in his journey and goals.
Sounds obvious to me! -Gm Michael

I'm hoping for GenCon 2014 but you know how that is.... I'm running it again at this year's NTXRPG Con in Dallas though.

I've also been wanting to start a facebook page for V! but the dear wife's been too busy with photography class to help me put the thing together. Which is a pity, since I've got a lot of free stuff and details I'd like to get out there!

Thanks JLL, but I won't be going to GenCon; TLG is just tentatively planning V! for a GenCon release.

Unless TLG wants to splurge for me to be there...? LOL

Mike

Yeah, I don't go to Gen Con anymore because it cost me nearly $2,000 for just me to go, several years ago. With my kids added on it jumped to nearly $4,000.00. Several years ago. So yeah, I don't see any more Gen Cons in my future.

Since its 20,000 I suggest "Captain Nemo" as his title. Beyond the obvious connection, he is one who sails on his own terms and ignores those he doesn't agree with...confident in his journey and goals.
Sounds obvious to me! -Gm Michael